Dietary proteins and phenolic compounds are commonly co-existing components that readily interact with each other to yield complexes in a wide range of food systems. The formed complexes play a critical role in the physiochemical characteristics of both reacting molecules, thereby impacting nutritional and quality profiles of related products. In this review, we provided the most updated knowledge on dietary protein-phenolic interactions related with food science and human nutrition, including their mechanisms of complexation, analytical technologies, and alterations in the functionality and nutraceutical properties of both reacting partners. Their potential applications in the industries regarding stability during food processing and storage, impacts on product quality, and fabrication of novel delivery systems for liable bioactives were also discussed. The interactions between dietary proteins and phenolics, either via non-covalent or covalent processes, are ubiquitous in food systems and are closely associated with chemical structures of both compounds and the surrounding conditions, mainly temperature, pH, and the presence of phenolic oxidases. Albeit in different ways, such intermolecular associations induced changes in protein conformational structures, which subsequently impacted their techno-functional properties, digestibility, and allergenic potentials; in turn, the bioaccessibility/bioavailability and health-protecting features of interacted phenolics were modified to various extents, as noticed by in vitro and in vivo evidence. Largely depending on the interaction molecules and preparation steps, those influences can be either favorable or unfavorable in different systems and therefore can be tailored to develop food products and nutraceuticals with maximized functionality and quality attributes.

Dietary advanced glycation end products (dAGEs) are complex and heterogeneous compounds derived from nonenzymatic glycation reactions during industrial processing and home cooking. There is mounting evidence showing that dAGEs are closely associated with various chronic diseases, where the absorbed dAGEs fuel the biological AGEs pool to exhibit noxious effects on human health. Currently, due to the uncertain bioavailability and rapid renal clearance of dAGEs, the relationship between dAGEs and biological AGEs remains debatable. In this review, we provide the most updated information on dAGEs including their generation in processed foods, analytical and characterization techniques, metabolic fates, interaction with AGE receptors, implications on human health and reducing strategies. Available evidence demonstrating a relevance between dAGEs and food allergy is also included. AGEs are ubiquitous in foods and their contents largely depend on the reactivity of carbonyl and amino groups, along with surrounding condition mainly pH and heating procedures. Once being digested and absorbed into the circulation, two separate pathways can be involved in the deleterious effects of dAGEs: an AGE receptor‐dependent way to stimulate cell signals, and an AGE receptor‐independent way to dysregulate proteins via forming complexes. Inhibition of AGEs formation during food processing and reduction in the diet are two potent approaches to restrict health‐hazardous dAGEs. To elucidate the biological role of dAGEs toward human health, the following significant perspectives are raised: molecular size and complexity of dAGEs; interactions between unabsorbed dAGEs and gut microbiota; and roles played by concomitant compounds in the heat‐processed foods.

Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) are a group of heterogeneous compounds formed in heat-processed foods and are proven to be detrimental to human health. Currently, there is no comprehensive database for AGEs in foods that covers the entire range of food categories, which limits the accurate risk assessment of dietary AGEs in human diseases. In this study, we first established an isotope dilution UHPLC-QqQ-MS/MS-based method for simultaneous quantification of 10 major AGEs in foods. The contents of these AGEs were detected in 334 foods covering all main groups consumed in Western and Chinese populations. Nε-carboxymethyllysine, methylglyoxal-derived hydroimidazolone isomers, and glyoxal-derived hydroimidazolone-1 are predominant AGEs found in most foodstuffs. Total amounts of AGEs were high in processed nuts, bakery products, and certain types of cereals and meats (>150 mg/kg), while low in dairy products, vegetables, fruits, and beverages (<40 mg/kg). Assessment of estimated daily intake implied that the contribution of food groups to daily AGE intake varied a lot under different eating patterns, and selection of high-AGE foods leads to up to a 2.7-fold higher intake of AGEs through daily meals. The presented AGE database allows accurate assessment of dietary exposure to these glycotoxins to explore their physiological impacts on human health.